Havelok the Dane

Havelok the Dane, English 13th-century metrical romance. It concerns a prince brought up as a scullion, who, after discovering his true identity, wins the kingdoms of Denmark and England. The poem's emphasis on the simple virtues suggests that it was written for a bourgeois rather than an aristocratic audience. The hero has been identified with the 10th-century king, Olaf Cuaran, who ruled at different times in Northumberland and in Dublin.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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